The Chicago Cubs dominated the Chicago baseball scene for much of the 2010s.
After winning a World Series title in 2016 and making the postseason in five out of six years from 2015 to 2020, the Cubs seemed unstoppable.
During that same span, the Chicago White Sox made the postseason just once.
It was clear that the Cubs were the top show in town.
But the landscape has since shifted.
And today, the White Sox run the Windy City.
It might take some getting used to, but it’s going to be the reality for the foreseeable future.
Let’s take a look at what the upcoming years have in store for each organization.
The White Sox Are Going To Be Title Contender For Years To Come
The White Sox—who currently have a nine-and-a-half game lead in the American League Central—have arguably the brightest five-year window ahead out of any team in baseball.
The organization boasts a plethora of young stars who are getting better by the day, and that’s on top of some elite veteran talent.
Let’s talk about some of the team’s most promising youngsters.
The White Sox have no shortage of outfield talent.
24-year-old Eloy Jimenez looks like a future All-Star in left field.
He has played in 181 games at the MLB level and already has a Silver Slugger to his name.
For his young career, he is batting .273 with an OPS of .840 and an OPS+ of 120.
Next up, we’ve got Luis Robert, who just turned 24 on Tuesday.
He is batting .316 this season with an OPS of .822 and OPS+ of 127.
Unfortunately, he has missed a good chunk of this season due to injury, but he figures to return soon.
He finished second in the Rookie of the Year race in 2020 thanks in large part to his stellar outfield defense.
He even won a Gold Glove Award last year.
And let’s not forget about Andrew Vaughn, who is another elite outfield talent.
The 2021 season is his rookie campaign, and the 23-year-old is batting .258 with a .776 OPS, 113 OPS+, 12 homers, and 22 doubles.
This outfield trio is likely going to become the White Sox’s identity very soon (if it hasn’t already).
Andrew Vaughn. Crushed. pic.twitter.com/Pj0ftSJLHr
— Barstool Chicago (@barstoolchicago) August 4, 2021
Lastly, it would be silly not to mention Michael Kopech as one of the team’s top young stars.
The right-handed pitcher has a 2.55 ERA over 24 appearances this season.
He has been used primarily as a reliever in 2021, but he has a future in the rotation.
Kopech is 25 years old and is capable of regularly touching 100 on the radar gun.
He was even clocked at 105 mph on the gun when he was 20 years old.
He has since undergone Tommy John surgery, but the righty can still touch triple digits today.
Needless to say, the future is absurdly bright for all of these young studs and for the White Sox organization.
The winning has already begun, and it’s not going to stop anytime soon.
The Cubs Are Beginning A Multi-Year Rebuild
The Cubs are looking at a multi-year rebuild, and it might be agonizing at times.
That said, there is already an excellent foundation in place.
The team’s deadline fire sale resulted in some extremely exciting young additions.
Of the 12 players that the Cubs acquired last week, Nick Madrigal and Pete Crow-Armstrong arguably have the highest ceilings.
Both guys have the potential to become household names in the baseball world.
Madrigal is unfortunately out for the rest of the 2021 season with a hamstring injury, but over 83 MLB games, the 24-year-old has managed a slash line of .317/.358/.406 so far.
The White Sox paid a massive price for Craig Kimbrel: second baseman Nick Madrigal and reliever Codi Heuer, sources tell ESPN.
When I said at the top of the show that Cubs had the chance to remake themselves for the next five years in the next two hours, this is what I meant.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 30, 2021
He has so much room to grow and could eventually become one of the best second basemen in the business.
As for Crow-Armstrong, he is an outfielder with a ridiculous amount of raw talent.
He is batting .417 with a 1.063 OPS over limited games at the minor league level this season.
The 19-year-old and is widely regarded as one of the top prospects in baseball.
It may be a few years before he breaks into The Show, but it will be worth the wait.
The Cubs got lots of other talented prospects as part of their deadline haul, but Madrigal and Crow-Armstrong are probably the most notable additions right now.
In due time, the Cubs will be back as playoff contenders.
But for the next few years, the city belongs to the White Sox.
Cubs fans are going to have to live with that reality for a little while.
NEXT: Breaking Down The New White Sox Super Bullpen